Hello All, Wilma Rudolph, American sprinter and Olympic champion, was the first woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic games in 1960 in Rome, Italy. Ms. Rudolph said: “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lies within each of us.” That is why I love the Olympic games – the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. It is why I am glued to the television screen when home, read on-line news for the latest updates, and listen to the radio in the car – I…

Hello All, What a fascinating 10 days or so – two billionaire astronauts! I do have a fascination with space, mostly because my dad worked at NASA. He loved space – he met astronauts – he saw the highs and lows of the space program. He would talk about this at dinner. I remember where I was when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon (“That’s one small step for man…..”) and when Challenger exploded (my dad was devastated). So I watched with interest these new adventures, which will eventually lead to space travel being as commonplace as getting on a plane. (Well, for some people! I am pretty sure I…

Hello All, Every now and then I just want to read/hear feel good stories. Stories that are uplifting, awe inspiring, and just plain happy. These stories help me on days that are tough or dreary. They also remind me about all of the good things in life. So I thought you might like some too! I absolutely fell in love with Zaila Avant-garde, the first African American to win the Scipps National Spelling Bee. The 14-year old from New Orleans won after correctly spelling murraya (a type of tropical tree) and before that, words I had never even heard of, querimonious, solidungulate and Nepeta. (I had to look all of those up!)…

Hello All, Over these past two weeks my heart has been so sad over the events in Surfside, Florida. I can hardly fathom the events of that fateful night when the building literally collapsed. The valiant rescues – the incredible work of the first responders, firefighters, emergency services, the police – the civilians who head a cry and helped a young boy. And since then, the around the clock work of the search and rescue teams, including the search and rescue dogs and cadaver dogs (from here in the United States and abroad) – the architects and engineers who have worked to be sure that all were safe as the responders searched…

Hello All, My sincere apologies for my impromptu vacation from Phyl Phacts! I haven’t missed a week, much less two, since I started writing in October of 2019. I really have a good excuse – I was brought to my knees by 3 millimeters and 5 millimeters kidney stones – for what I hope was my first and very last time! Bob said I don’t get sick often, I just like to go big when I do! What an experience. I visited two emergency departments, in two different health systems, in five days – one with an overnight stay – and the urologist office. Had two CT scans, lots of urinalysis tests,…